1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ironing board assembly that includes an ironing board swingable about a horizontal axis toward an upright storage position within a wall-mounted cabinet, and which is also pivotal about a vertical axis when the ironing board is lowered to a horizontal, use position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, increased consumer interest has been directed toward wall-mounted ironing board assemblies that include an ironing board which is foldable to an upright position preferably within a wall cabinet for storage. Assemblies of this type are particularly useful in dwellings where space is limited and where a basement is not available for permanent placement of conventional, free-standing ironing boards. Moreover, the wall-mounted cabinets of ironing board assemblies can be finished to match substantially any room decor so that the user need not be relegated to a basement or laundry room away from activities of the family.
In the past, certain wall-mounted, foldable ironing board assemblies have been provided with pivot structure for selective movement of the board about a vertical axis toward different orientations to suit the convenience of the user. In this manner, the board can be positioned to view television or small children, or in some instances to facilitate access to the work operation. The following patents have been called to my attention as exemplary of such construction: U.S. Pat. Nos. 667,164, 1,618,374, 1,631,255, 1,684,034, 1,688,289, 1,696,145, 2,014,549, 2,658,294, and 4,480,556.
One problem which has long been associated with conventional foldable ironing boards is the lack of the sufficient support for the board to satisfactorily resist downward as well as lateral deflection of the board during use. At the same time, there is a demand for simplified construction using components that are relatively light in weight so that little effort is needed to fold the assembly for storage. Furthermore, it is desirable in the construction of wall-mounted ironing boards to avoid the use of outer legs which are foldable to engage the floor, and instead provide an underlying, inclined brace which extends back to the wall cabinet in order to maximize working clearances in regions beneath the board.
The wall-mounted ironing boards described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 667,164 and 2,014,549 are slidable in a horizontal direction to an extended position relative to a support pivotally connected to the wall cabinet, and such construction is useful for improving access to the board during use. However, inasmuch as the support illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 667,164 and 2,014,549 pivots only about a horizontal axis when the board is folded for storage and does not swing about a vertical axis during pivotal movement of the board in a horizontal plane to different rotative positions, the support must be of relatively small size and can extend only a short distance beneath the inner end of the board, thereby providing relatively little resistance to deflection of the board's outer end. Instead, outer end portions of the ironing board shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 667,164 and 2,014,549 are supported by a floor-engaging leg that drags along the floor during horizontal swinging of the board and which cannot be readily replaced by a simple, inclined brace without adversely affecting extension or retraction of the board along horizontal planes toward and away from the cabinet.